THE Pampanga Provincial Government will seek the help of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in stopping hardware stores from selling substandard construction materials for homes and buildings.
This came after Undersecretary Renato Solidum of the Department of Science and Technology encouraged Kapampangans to prepare for stronger earthquakes and not just the "Big One."
Vice Governor Dennis Pineda said DTI will be requested to determine whether or not private contractors are using the right materials for government projects especially schools.
Pineda, who co-chairs the Pampanga Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), proposed the action after Solidum urged local governments to strictly enforce the National Building Code in light of the recent earthquake in Leyte.
"Design, workmanship and materials determine the safety of structures during earthquakes and their related hazards such as ground shaking and liquefaction," Solidum said at the multi-hazards disaster summit organized by the PDRRMC at the Kingsborough International Convention Center here on Wednesday, July 12. Governor Lilia Pineda chairs the PDRRMC.
"This summit aims to help our barangay and municipal leaders to better understand earthquakes, flooding and terrorism," Pineda said. Leaders of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a PDRRMC member, and managers of malls attended the summit.
Solidum, who is concurrent officer-in-charge of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said Pampanga should not only prepare for the "Big One" but also watch out for earthquakes that can be generated by movements along the Philippine Fault Zone segments in Infanta, Quezon and Gabaldon in Nueva Ecija.
The "Big One" refers to a scenario where a 7.2 magnitude earthquake will occur as triggered by a shift in the Valley Fault System which last moved between 400 and 600 years ago.
The West Valley Fault System stretches more than 100 kilometers between Doña Remedios Trinidad town in Bulacan, Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite and Calamba in Laguna. The East Valley Fault System runs 10 kilometers in Rizal province.
He said Pampanga's southeastern towns were expected to experience the Big One at Intensity 8, which might kill 200 people if they were unprepared.
The Infanta segment caused a strong tremor in 1880. The Gabaldon segment slipped in 1641, killing over 3,000 people in Metro Manila and Central Luzon. The Digdig Fault near Gabaldon segment last moved in 1990, producing the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that damaged Nueva Ecija and Baguio City.
"Pampanga should make internal preparations. At the same time, it is in the position to help the national government make Clark [Freeport] a national command center during major disasters," he said.
The Department of Public Works and Highways briefed local leaders on ongoing and completed flood-control works.
"We can't stop Nature but we can prepare our communities to be safe from natural hazards as well as human-made disasters. Our unity and coordination are important in responding to disasters," Pineda said as he assured support for training and logistics needs.
Angelina Blanco, PDRRMC action officer, prepared a set of videos for barangay captains. These contain step-by-step procedures on what to do for every hazard.